In the early hours of Wednesday morning (May 22), SpaceX achieved a significant milestone by launching a groundbreaking set of spy satellites for the U.S. government. The Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the NROL-146 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base at 4 a.m. EDT (0800 GMT; 1 a.m. local California time).
The specifics of the payloads aboard the NROL-146 mission remain undisclosed, as is typical with NRO operations, which tend to keep satellite activities and capabilities under wraps. Consequently, there was no footage of the Falcon 9 rocket stages separating during the launch.
Liftoff of the @NatReconOfc NROL-146 mission! pic.twitter.com/DYpkHpZPx8
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About six minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9’s first stage began its return to Earth, successfully landing on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Pacific Ocean. This marks the 16th launch and landing for this Falcon 9 first stage.
The NROL-146 mission is described by the NRO as the first launch of its proliferated architecture, deploying smaller satellites for enhanced capability and resilience, signified by the tagline “Strength in Numbers.”
Watch Falcon 9 launch the NROL-146 mission from pad 4E in California https://t.co/TqUkicU35S
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While details about the satellites’ destination and deployment timeline are undisclosed, it’s presumed that multiple small satellites were launched. Unlike non-classified missions, SpaceX did not provide deployment details.
Wednesday’s successful launch is SpaceX’s 52nd orbital liftoff in 2024, with 36 launches dedicated to expanding the Starlink broadband constellation.
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship pic.twitter.com/7PKB0tA7n4
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